Tag "director"

  • Interview with Poet, Dancer, Choreographer, Director Harry Bryce

    4-4-17 Interview

    4-4-17 Poet, Dancer, Choreographer, Actor, and Director Harry Bryce says that he came out of the womb dancing. And when you talk to him you can well believe it. Precocious and wise beyond his years Harry began writing poetry (although he didn’t know it was poetry) when he was a young boy in order to “stay sane.” Curious and observant as few are, Harry began to notice everything. It became important to him to be “precise,” so he recognized the variation in the hues of different colors – and wondered about what happened to a seed. He couldn’t take ballet lessons like his older sister because ”boys didn’t do that;” but when she came home from her lesson his sister would take him into the back yard and do the lesson again for him. By the time they were ten years old Harry and his sister were a popular dance act appearing at local weddings and events. Harry went on to have a varied and productive career as the artistic director of Memphis Black Repertory Theater and creator of the Harry Bryce Dance Company, Choreographer in Residence for the prestigious Vinnette Carroll’s theater company and as professor of dance and theater at Atlanta’s Morehouse and Spellman colleges. Currently Harry is directing the West Coast Black Theater Troupe of Sarasota’s production of Dearly Departed. Listen to this charming, delightful and reflective man talk about his career and the

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  • Interview with Sharon Ohrenstein – Golden Roads

    Interview with Sharon Ohrenstein – Golden Roads

    1-24-17Interview

    1-24-17 Sharon Leslie Ohrenstein is a renaissance woman. Her extraordinary voice was first discovered in Kindergarten when she was chosen to sing the solo in the Christmas play and has delighted countess audiences since. She is a fine actor appearing in vastly dissimilar roles with authenticity. As a director she has helped actors find nuances which enabled them to be better than they were. And, as a teacher, she has enhanced the experience of the eager students at Roads Scholar for 16 years. Although writing came late in her life, along with her composer husband David, she wrote the book and lyrics to two musicals and two operas; producing, directing, and staring in many (she even made the costume). Listen to this amazing woman talk about her life journey and come see her open this year’s Sarasota Festival on Jan 28th at 1:00, at Crocker Church performing Golden Roads an original musical homage to Golda Meir.

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  • Interview with Andre Malaev-Babel

    8-2-16 Interview

    12/13 /16 Andrei Maleav-Babel is a Russian Immigrant. The son and grandson of writers and artists, Andrei wrote musicals and directed his parent’s friends in his plays, by the time he was 10 or 12. Luckily coming of age as Perestroika was occurring in Russia, Andrei was able to start his own theater as a very young man. Barely able to speak English, he met, courted and married an American sociology student and became a Professor of Acting at the prestigious FSU Conservatory for Actor Training, one of the top ten actor training companies in the United States. Listen to him tell his amazing story and talk about his direction of the Conservatory’s production of Arthur Miller’s “A View from the Bridge,” opening on Dec 27th

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  • Interview with Jason Cannon

    8-2-16 Interview ” target=”_blank”>8-2-16 Interview

    10-25-16 Self-deprecatingly Jason Cannon says his skill set is very “disparate,” which actually means that when it comes to theater – he does everything. A self-described “multi-hyphenate” Jason is the quintessential theater professional. A union actor, union director, published playwright, stage manager, set designer, and educator, Jason’s title as Associate Artist at Florida Studio Theater, does not begin to adequately describe his duties. In addition to all the jobs I mentioned he is also responsible for new play development, he mentors the acting apprentices, and teaches classes in everything from Playwriting to Shakespeare. In this show Jason talks about the prestigious education outreach program at Florida Studio Theater which this year using The Velveteen Rabbit and his direction of FST’s first main stage production of The Million Dollar Quartet. Listen to this charming, articulate, very funny man describe how a teacher in high school turned his life around by recognizing that underneath the studious and somewhat shy boy there was an explosion of skills and passions.

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  • Interview with performer, director Kenney Green

    8-2-16 Interview

    10-11-16 singer, dancer, actor, director, musician, musical director, Kenney Green, is bringing his multiple talents to Sarasota to direct The Wiz for the West Coast Black Theater Troupe. Kenney fell in love with music when he was very young, learning and singing all the “oldies” incessantly. He wanted to know everything about theater and would hang out at the school café-torium, “playing with the wires and switches to just to see how everything worked. An acknowledged workaholic Kenney began to burning the candle at both ends early in his life. In high school he was in Chorus and Drama Club (arriving at 6:30 in the morning to rehearse), the Forensics League (where he lettered in Dramatic Interpretation) the Marching Band, a competitive Barbara Shop quartet and auditioning for and getting roles at the King Musical Community Theater. And he has continued that pace to this day. Listen to this high-energy, very funny, remarkably talented man talk about a life dedicated to everything theater and come see his direction of The Wiz, .the 1975 Broadway musical which won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical

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